Hallor was also named in a 1929 breach-of-promise-suit that a young woman brought against the actor Maurice Costello, a silent-film star who was apparently one of Hallor's friends, and, incidentally, the great-grandfather of Drew Barrymore.

So if we apply the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" rule, I am related to Ray Hallor/Haller

But for the possibly true relation to W.S. Van Dyke: Not only did he direct the South Sea movie classic "White Shadows in the South Seas" (1928), which might have been the first Hollywood film to feature a Tiki:

(which was based on a never since utilized Necker Island statue)

....but Van Dyke also discovered Ray Mala, first non-white Hollywood star (AND cinematographer!), and portrayer of South Seas natives (despite his being Eskimo) in such classics as "Robinson Crusoe on Clipper Island" (1936)

Here the best segment from the series (note the early Tiki necklace, and the silly Pele idol):

"Rani Rani, Melani !" But enough veering off from the main subject, I thought it would be interesting to delve a little into the pop cultural environment that Haller's/Brooks' Seven Seas club existed in. Now WHY and WHEN exactly did Bob Brooks take over?

In any case, I might be missing something, but it seems likely to me that (a) Ray Haller of 7 Seas fame was the same man as Ray Hallor the actor; and (b) Ray was not the same man as Bob Brooks, given that Ray died in 1944 and Bob was apparently still alive in the 1950s.

I did a little digging on Ancestry.com, and I find both a Ray Haller and a Ray Hallor in Los Angeles at the same time.

Raymond Ellworth Hallor, the actor, appears to have been born Jan. 11, 1900, in Washington, DC, and died near Palm Springs in a car crash April 16, 1944, as shown in the above quoted news story. In the 1940 census, his occupation is listed as "publicity manager" for a nightclub, and living at the Garden of Allah Hotel (playwright George S. Kaufman and Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn were neighbors).

However, I also find a Ray Haller, born in California on July 24, 1903, in California, and died Dec. 12, 1975, in Port Hueneme, Calif. In the 1940 census, his occupation is listed as "broker." Ray Haller appears to have been married to a woman named Ailene, and had at least two children, daughters named Rayleen and Jean.

So which one was with the Seven Seas? I would guess it's the actor/nightclub publicity manager.

Did you all know that Ray "The Master Ninja" Buhen (founder of the world famous Tiki Ti) used to work at the Seven Seas?

Check it out here:

"He'd say anything," chuckled Ray. "He said he invented the Zombie, but he didn't. Or hardly any of his drinks." That work, Ray maintained, was done by Ray and his fellow Filipinos. As fond as he was of his brazen boss, Ray left the Beachcomber's in 1937, moving to the Seven Seas when it opened across from Grauman's Chinese Theater. Owner Bob Brooks hired away most of Don's bar crew by offering $10 more per week, at a total salary of $40 per week. Recalls Mike Buhen: "Mom used to say that they could pay their rent, stock the fridge, and still have money to party. A loaf of bread was five cents back then, so they could afford to go out nightclubbing."

The Seven Seas built on Don's faux Polynesian restaurant concept with live Hawaiian music and a Tahitian dance revue. Ray’s duties included playing a thunder-and-lightning LP for the bar’s famous "Rain On The Roof" sound -- sometimes with unintended results. As Ray told the Bum in '98, "One time I put the record on, and this chick jumped up from her table and ran outside to close the top on her convertible." Ray also remembered an illegal gambling set-up downstairs, run by an offshore casino boat operator named Tony Corneo.

World War II bounced Ray back to the Seven Seas, which needed all the help it could get: Sailors on shore leave packed the place, clamoring for what might be the last drink of their lives before shipping out to the real South Pacific. Even with eight bartenders mixing in tandem, “You worked your ass off. There was always money on the bar, never a minute’s rest.” In addition to making sailors drinks, Ray made their boats: He helped build Liberty Ships during a stint at the Long Beach shipyards, which were churning out four to five transport vessels a day by 1945. Ray worked as a “burner,” torching off rough edges left by the welders working above him –- who rained down showers of sparks that left life-long scars across his chest." (from: http://www.tiki-ti.com/pages/ray.html )

I have heard stories that one of the behind-the-scenes owners of the Seven Seas was William F. "Billy" Gleason, who was originally a gambler from East St. Louis, where he did very well, and came to the Long Beach area around 1932. He was a visible part owner in at least three (and probably four) of the gambling ships that anchored off the coast of Long Beach and Santa Monica from 1928-1939. Does anyone have info that might confirm (or at least lend some credibility) to these stories?